Emotional burnout is, one might say, the diagnosis of the current generation. And this diagnosis must be fought, because it always, without exception, leads to even more serious "diseases" and problems. But in order to start fighting any disease, it must first be diagnosed. The best way to diagnose emotional burnout is Viktor Vasilyevich Boyko's method, which is based on passing a simple test consisting of about eighty questions. Boyko Viktor Vasilyevich is known not only for this test. There is also a method for diagnosing empathic abilities of V. V. Boyko, which you will learn about from this article. We wish you a pleasant reading.
Emotional burnout - what is it?
Before moving directly to the topic of Boyko's burnout technique, you should describe what the concept itself means, as well as name the symptoms and causes of burnout.
Term"Emotional burnout" appeared in psychology in 1974. It was introduced by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberger to denote a state of increasing emotional exhaustion.
This condition can be the initial level of development of severe depression, which leads to a complete inability of a person to participate in social life, be fit for their professional activities and everything else.
First of all, burnout affects people working in the "person-to-person" type, whose activity is entirely based on being useful to someone. First of all, these are teachers in schools, teachers in universities, this also includes the professions of rescuers, doctors in hospitals and other people whose activities are based on working with a large flow of people.
It is also worth noting that the emotional burnout of these people can be dangerous not only for themselves, but also for those people with whom they work. Since disinterest in one's activity and in its result, which is one that results from burnout, can also affect the result of working with a client, with a patient, with a student or student.
Causes of burnout
Let's analyze the causes of burnout, which Boyko spoke about before the burnout technique.
No matter how primitive it may sound, but the stress that appears as a result of working with large flows of people is always associated with overwork, which very clearly affectsthe quality of the work performed, at the level of responsibility of the approach to business, on the tasks that a person with stress sets for himself. Most often, it is important for him how the work is done, the main thing is only that it is done, finished, and you can no longer return to it.
Another reason for the appearance of emotional burnout is insufficient encouragement of work. Often this item can apply not only to a person’s work activities, but also to his personal life. In the conditions of the modern world, we are in such a hurry to do everything that we forget to simply thank loved ones for the necessary services that they provide to us every day. And this, in turn, has a negative effect on them, since a person in this case subconsciously feels that his work goes unnoticed and, perhaps, unnecessary.
An incorrectly set task can also cause stressful situations that lead to emotional burnout. A person can receive tasks (or independently set for himself) that are actually beyond his power. Or they have some inaccuracies in their wording. Facing failure or thinking long and hard about what your boss really wants from him is stressful.
The cause of emotional burnout can be resentment and conflicts with someone. First of all, any conflict is reflected precisely in our internal state.
The tendency to idealize everything and the "complex of an excellent student" are also possible reasons for a person to have an emotionalburnout. Any of us need to give ourselves the opportunity to relax a little and maybe even not do everything as well as we could.
Burnout symptoms
Viktor Vasilyevich's technique may not always be necessary. For example, if the person you need to diagnose for possible burnout is always in front of you, you can identify some of the symptoms that are especially noticeable.
Conventionally, these symptoms can be divided into five types: physical, emotional, behavioral, intellectual, and social. Each of these types should be analyzed in more detail in order to become clearer.
The first group of symptoms includes physical fatigue, deterioration of a person's sleep, the presence of shortness of breath. Sometimes a change in weight to a larger or smaller side can also be a symptom of emotional burnout, just like skin disease, the presence of problems with the cardiovascular system.
The emotional group of symptoms of emotional burnout according to Boyko's method includes the manifestation of pessimism and cynicism, the callousness of a person and his unmotivated aggressiveness, as well as the loss of ideals and any hopes.
As for the behavioral group of symptoms, they include loss of appetite, the need for smoking, drugs and addiction to pills. As for "drugs", they should also include addiction to special smells and tastes thatcause a person to become addicted. At first, it may even seem to him that the presence of this or that aroma nearby brings him to a normal working state, to feelings. Accidents can happen to this person more often, primarily because of his absent-mindedness, lack of concentration on what is happening around.
The next group of symptoms according to Boyko's method are "intellectual", which include loss of interest in the new, the presence of constant boredom, melancholy and apathy. These symptoms are much easier to identify in those people who, by their psychotype, are not phlegmatic and melancholic.
The last group, using Boyko's method, names the social symptoms of emotional burnout. Chief among these symptoms is a loss of interest in social activities, which is motivated primarily by fatigue and the need to rest at home. This also includes any desires associated with the removal from society.
Why is it important to diagnose burnout?
Partially the answer to this question has already been given in the previous paragraphs. First of all, because the emotional burnout of a person can be his first step towards severe protracted depression. In addition, burnout may be the first (possibly the only) reason for poor-quality work of an employee. If you are not able to observe each of your subordinates and independently identify any of the symptoms of burnout in them, then you can resort to the help of the Boyko method of diagnosing the level of emotional burnout.
Description of the technique
It allows you to identify the leading symptoms of burnout and determine which phase of the development of emotional burnout a person is at this stage. The methodology is based on the need to give a positive or negative answer to all eighty-four proposed judgments. Of course, you should not think about your answer for a long time, and also, when answering, be based only on your own feelings and emotions.
Processing data from the diagnostic technique of V. V. Boyko
All answer options are awarded their own number of points, which is given in the key to the test. The maximum score is ten points. Calculations are carried out in accordance with the key. The score is determined separately for each of the twelve symptoms of burnout. After that, the sum of symptom scores is calculated for each of the three existing phases of the formation of emotional burnout: tension, resistance and exhaustion. In this way, the data of the Boyko burnout diagnostic method are being processed.
Determination of the formation of phases of stress development
Each of the phases can be evaluated with a number between zero and one hundred and twenty points. Do not forget that this number does not correspond to the role or contribution of this phase to the syndrome. According to these indicators, one can only judge how well each of these phases has formed at a given point in time. A phase is in the process of formation if its score is in the range from 37 to 60. Accordingly, the phase is considered to be completelyformed if it is in the range of 61 and above, and unformed if it is in the range of 36 and below. This is what determines the formation of phases of stress according to the method of the level of emotional burnout by Boyko.
Empathy
In addition to Boyko's "burnout" technique, he also has work related to determining a person's empathic level. Empathy is the ability of a person to understand what is the representation of the surrounding world in the mind of his communication partner. This also includes the ability to feel everything around in the same way as other people around the "empath". Of course, a person copes with empathic abilities more easily if he is close to the ideas, feelings and emotional reactions of his communication partner. It is important to mention the fact that the empathic level of a person becomes higher in accordance with the growth of life experience. The following forms of empathy are distinguished: empathy as the ability to imagine oneself in the place of the interlocutor and take over all his feelings and emotions. The second form is sympathy, these are independent experiences due to the state in which the other person is.
Types of empathy
In the method of Boyko V. V. There are three types of empathy. Emotional, cognitive and predictive. Emotional empathy is the imitation of the feelings and emotions of another person. Cognitive is based on comparing the feelings of another person with their own, on making some kind of analogy. Predicative empathy is the abilityprediction, prediction of the state and behavior of a person in a given life situation.
Boiko's method "Empathic abilities"
This method of determining the level of an empath's ability, like the previous one, is based on unambiguous "yes" or "no" answers to simple judgments. In this test, the number of judgments is limited to thirty-six. Don't think too long about your answers. When answering, you should be guided only by your inner feelings.
Processing test data
The score of the correct answers on each of the scales is summed up. The score on each scale can range from zero to six. This number indicates the significance of a particular parameter in the empathy structure.
Six trends, test scales
The rational scale characterizes the empath's focus on his partner and his condition. This scale is in no way responsible for the consistency of the empath's interest in the emotional state of his interlocutor, he simply unbiasedly determines his emotional state on a subconscious level.
The emotional scale characterizes the ability of an empath to find the same emotional wave with his partner. The empath's emotional responsiveness becomes the main means of merging his internal environment with that of his partner.
Intuitive scale. The score on this scale indicates the ability of a person to take action in relation to a partner whom he does not know well, based on his experience, whichstored in the subconscious.
Settings that promote or hinder empathy make it easier or, conversely, hinder the operation of all empathic channels.
Scale of penetration. The score for her represents the level of the empath's skill in creating an atmosphere of openness.
The Identification Scale measures how well an empath is able to put themselves in another person's shoes.
Test norms
The total score for the entire test can range from zero to thirty-six. A person has a high level of empathy if his total indicator is in the range of thirty or more. The average is the level, which is located in the range from twenty-nine to twenty-two. Between twenty-one and fifteen is low empathy, and below these numbers is very low.
That's all about Viktor Boyko's methods. Its tests are very easy to apply on a large number of people. After their activation, one can judge both the general state of a group of people, and separately about each individual.
